What $3 Will Buy You

A couple of weeks ago, I grabbed some kiwis at the supermarket. I hadn't seen them in awhile, and since both kids love them, I thought I'd get a bunch. And then I noticed the price. $1.89. Per kiwi. What?!! I don't really watch food prices very closely, but I know for sure that kiwis were 4 for a dollar last year. I distinctly remember using them to help my daughter practice her multiplication, as in: "If you can get 4 kiwis for $1 and you have $3, how many kiwis can you buy?" The answer now would be 1.6 kiwis. Wow!

Well, it's nice to know you can still catch a break in today's economy. I finished my Drop Stitch Lace Tank using the Feza Lisa I brought home as a souvenir from Los Angeles. I had never heard of this yarn before but thought it would work well for this pattern. Turns out I'm only the 2nd person on Ravelry to use it in a project, and the 1st person had only used it as fringe on a novelty scarf. Yes, it's synthetic, but it's one of the more tame novelty yarns. It is a very stretchy nylon tape yarn that is mostly matte but has a single shiny thread running down the middle of the yarn. I think the stretchiness will help this piece hold its shape over time. I had admired Lilybeth's version using Berroco Softwist, which also has a bit of subtle shine, and I wanted that extra little touch. Yes, breathability is a factor when considering a nylon yarn for a summery project, but luckily, this pattern has its own built-in ventilation. Yes, this does have a tendency to snag, but it hasn't been hard to be careful so far. And yes, it does twist around something awful while you knit with it. I had to keep stopping and untwisting my yarn. Actually, I would hold up the yarn with the work-in-progress dangling down, and I would just give it a few good spins around to unwind it--kinda like a tire swing. In the end, I got a top for less than the price of 1.6 kiwis. Can't beat that! More details are in the gallery.